gengembee hubeet



(N0 Modelf) H. G. HUBERT.

MEANS FOR SWINGING GRANES. No. 314,675. Patented Mar. 31, 1885.

PATENT Urn-res.

H. GENGEMBRE HUBERT, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR SWlNGlNG CRANES.

SPECIPICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 314,675, dated Lit-"troll 81, 1885.

Application tiled September 4,1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I. H. GENGEMBRE HUBER'I, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means for Swinging Cranes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a crane consisting of an upright mast or post and a horizontallyextending boom or arm, which may be swung v round through the whole or any part of a cir' cle of which the upper and lower pivots of the mast are the center; and it relates more particularly to cranes of the above class which are so large or which have such a long boom that ordinary mechanismsuch as is otten used for turning the crane through its mastcannot be advantageously employed. The turning or swinging of such large cranes is usually done by a rope hanging from the outer or free end of the'boom, the men traveling around where it is desired to move the boom, but this is very difficult and troublesome when the crane reaches over buildings, machinery, or other obstructions; and the object of my invention is to enable the crane to be turned or swung by means operated manually, or by power at the mast of the crane and exerting their force at the nose or outer end of the boom to move it in one or other direction.

According to my invention an endless chain or rope is used and made to hang from a circular series of hooks or supports attached to posts which are arranged so as to permit a complete circuit of the crane within them, the said hooks or supports being in a horizontal plane slightly below the level of the boom of the crane. The aforesaid endless chain or rope is made long enough not only to hang on all the hooks or supports of the circular series, but also to pass over, around, and under suitable guide or directing pulleys on the boom, and also around a drum or pulley on the crane, and by rotating said drum or pulley in one or other direction the endless chain or rope will be gathered-on one side and paid out on the other side, thereby drawing the free end of the boom toward the side on which the chain or rope is gathered and away from the side on which said chain or rope is paid out, the said chain or rope being held against slipping by frictional engageim-nt with the hooks or supports on which it rests.

In the accompanying dra\vings,Fignre 1 rep resents a sectional elevation of a crane to which my improved mechanism is applied. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section on the plane of the dottedlinewx, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is aplan ot'the outer end portion or nose ot'the boom upon a larger scale; and Fig. L is a side view, also upon a larger scale, of a boom and the upper portion of the mast of a crane embodying a modification of my invention.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures.

A designates the upright mast, and B the boom or arm of a crane, the two being connected by suitable diagonal braces, O, and conby a circular series of posts, D, so arranged that the crane-boom B may be swung throughout the whole or any part of a circle of which the pivots a b are the center.

Attached to the posts D are hooks or hooked supports 0, located in a horizontal plane just below the level of the boom B, and upon these hooks or supports is hung an endless chain, E, or, if desired, a wire or other rope ofa length greater than is required to extend over all the hooks 0.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, it will be seen that on the free end or nose of the boom B are arranged four guide-pulleys, d d e e, and that upon the boom near the mast are placed two other guide-pulleys, ff, while below the last said guide-pulleys and on the mast is a drum or driving-pulley, g, which may be operated by a crank, g, or any other means.

As before stated, the chain or rope E hangs upon the hooks or supports 0, and the surplus length of chain or rope passes under the two guide-pulleys d d, over the two guidepulleys e 6, over the guide-pulleys ff, and then around the drum or driving-pulley g.

When an endless chain is used, its links may engage so strongly with the drum or pulley g that it is only necessary to pass it around below the drum or pulley; but whether E be a chain or rope it may be passed around the drum or driving-pulley g as many times as may be necessary to prevent slip whenthe said drum or pulley is turned. Suppose, for example, that the drum or pulleyg is turned in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 1, the chain or rope Ewill be gathered in the direction of the arrows, Figs. 1 and 2, and paid out on the reverse side of the drum or pulley 9, also in the direction of the arrows. The chain or rope E will be prevented from slipping on the hooks G by frictional engagement with them, and consequently the gathering and paying out of the chain or rope E,

as abo e described, will swing the crane-boom B in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, while a reverse rotation of the drum or pulley y will gather on the side of the chain which was before aid out and pay out on the side before gathered, thus producing a swinging movement of the crane-boom in the reverse direction. As the nose of the crane-boom B comes to the hooks O in succession it will take up the chain or rope E from them, and as it passes each hook it will deposit or lay the chain or rope upon it.

The boom 13(sl1own in Fig. 4) has at its free I end or nose two guide-pulleys d, but between and. above them is arranged a single driving drum or pulley, 9, over or over and around which the surplus of chain or rope E is passed. The drum or pulley g is carried by a shaft, 9', which extends parallel with the boom inward to the mast, and is there provided with a wheel or pulley, 9 around which passes. an endless chain or rope, 9, depending near the'mast A. By pulling on the hand chain or rope g the shaft g and drum or wheel y will be turned in one or the otherdirection, and the endless chain or rope E will be gathered and paid out to move or swing the boom in the direction desired.

By my invention the power or forcefor swinging the crane is applied at the most advantageous pointi. e., the nose or free end of theboom-and is exerted in a horizontal direction and not downward,as when the crane is pulled round by a depending rope.

The mechanism for swinging the crane, whether by hand or power, is operated at the mast of the crane, and all necessity of men traveling in a circle to pull the crane round is obviated.

What I claim as my'invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with a crane having a horizontally-swinging boom or arm, and provided with suitable guide-pulleys, as herein described, of a driving drum or pulley on the crane, a circular series of hooks or hooked supports, and an endless chain or rope hung upon said hooks or supports, and having surplus length or slack which is passed over, under, or around said guidepulleys and over or around said driving drum or pulley, whereby the rotation of said drum or pulley in one direction or the other will gather in and pay out said endless chain or rope and swing the crane-boom in one direction or the other, substantially as specified.

H. GEN GEMBRE HUBERT. Witnesses;

FREDK. HAYNES, MATTHEW PoLLooK. 

